Chapter 8 - Verse 26 — Ancient Knowledge

शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते ।
एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययाऽऽवर्तते पुनः ॥ २६ ॥

śuklakṛṣṇe gatī hyete jagataḥ śāśvate mate .
ekayā yātyanāvṛttimanyayā’‘vartate punaḥ .. 26 ..

These bright and dark Paths of the world are verily deemed eternal; by the one a man goes to return not, by the other he returns again.

Read the commentary

The one is bright* because it illumines knowledge : the other is dark* because it is wanting in that light. The two paths are open to those only in the world who are engaged in action or devoted to knowledge; they are not open to the whole world. They are eternal, because samsara is eternal. By the one : by the bright one.

The two paths are respectively called Devayana and Pitriyana, the path to the Devas and the path to the Pitris. The one is said to be bright because it illumines knowledge and is reached by knowledge, and its course is marked throughout by bright objects; the other is said to be dark because it does not illumine knowledge, is reached by avidya or nescience, and is marked throughout by smoke and other dark things.